


Puppy Love

by GayRedMage



Category: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Age Difference, Developing Relationship, Dogs, Domestic Fluff, M/M, Mentor/Protégé
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:07:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25610317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GayRedMage/pseuds/GayRedMage
Summary: It's against company policy to date someone above or below rank. That doesn't mean they won't make the most of it.
Relationships: Zack Fair/Angeal Hewley
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17
Collections: FF7 Fanworks Exchange '20





	Puppy Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FFlove190](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FFlove190/gifts).



“Is that a smart idea?”

Angeal wrung his hands together as Sephiroth stared him down from his office chair. The big guy felt small in that moment, turning briefly to his childhood friend for support, but only getting an exasperated sigh in response. 

“I want it to be.” he said, honestly, because there wasn’t anything else convincing to say.

Genesis tutted and uncrossed his legs, “He’s your subordinate. Not only is that against company policy, but think about what the public would say.”

“I don’t care what the public think.”

Sephiroth interjected, “He didn’t mean what they’ll think about you.” 

“Exactly. It’s fine if it’s you.” Genesis said, slowly and carefully, a tone he only used when he was sincere, “But...what about Zack?”

Angeal laughed, incredulously, “Of course I’ve thought about Zack.”

“And how this may end his career here in Soldier? What about the press? Have you thought about the slander they’d print about him, us...Soldier in general?”

He swallowed hard around the lump in his throat, “Yes. I have.”

Sephiroth crossed his arms, sharing a concerned glance with his second in command, “And he is aware about the consequences?”

“Yes, Sephiroth, he is.” Angeal shook his head, “Look. It’s been months of procedure, we’ve gone through everything. Why can’t we just be happy?”

“You know why that’s a foolish question.” Sephiroth waved him off, “Fine, Angeal. You’re right, it has been months of red tape. Do as you please, but don’t pretend we didn’t warn you. Are you even sure he loves you instead of your position here in Soldier?”

Angeal turned away, not wanting to know how he should or could answer that question.

At the start, Angeal wasn’t really sure what he was feeling. A talented, albeit easily distractible young man was dragged out of one of Genesis’ training sessions by the ear. The redhead - seething - thrust him into Angeal’s care.

“This _idiot_ almost blew up the damn training room!”

Zack smiled sheepishly, but had the expression of a puppy who had his toes stepped on. “It was an acci-”

“Shut up! The grown ups are talking!” Genesis turned to Angeal, “You wanted a protégé. Take this one. He’s pretty decent when he listens, but I’ve had enough of him. Be warned - he’s hard to train.” 

The puppy-like guy was offended, “He-Hey!”

“See? He’s speaking out of line.” 

Under normal circumstances, Angeal would chastise his pal for getting so snappy with a young man trying to find his feet. But he was up for a challenge, especially if they ruffled up his friend’s feathers yet still managed to get a compliment out of him, “I’ll see what I can do.” he said.

“Good.” Genesis stormed off.

He gave his hand to the hopeful, “Angeal Hewley.”

Zack took his hand with gusto, eyes wide, jaw to the floor as he gazed in awe. Not back into Angeal’s eyes, no. His eyes were on his biceps. “Wow...Are they real?”

“Um, yes.”

“Not like steroids or anything, right?”

Angeal blinked, not really sure how he should feel about that question. This kid was supposed to be decent, right? “...No.”

“Wow! I want to be cool like you!”

He smiled at his boyish wonder, “Sounds like a good plan.” 

* * *

The kid wasn’t bad, although easily distracted and reckless. He’d attack an enemy like they were the only thing in the room - swinging his arms around like a blind, frightened octopus. And he lost focus whenever so much as a candy wrapper shone brightly in his peripheral vision. This was going to be a hard habit to train him out of as even during down time he would be distracted by just about anything. 

Conversations would give Angeal whiplash going from talking about protein intake to dogs in spacesuits. And if it wasn’t whiplash, it was the agonising drone of Zack talking about how badly he wanted a chocobo for so long words lost meaning, particularly when Angeal was doing paperwork. Or he’d ask weird questions like, “Can vegans eat marlboros?” in the middle of a set. As if by divine virtue, Angeal would lose count as he spotted him and Zack would need to consequently double his time on the squat rack. 

Over time, Angeal grew fond of Zack. His cheery face brightened his day, along with his emoticon filled text messages that Angeal was beginning to become excited for. It didn’t take long for him to start placing his phone face down on his desk lest Sephiroth or Genesis caught a glimpse of their messages. Especially after Genesis spat out his drink when he saw Angeal inappropriately use an eggplant emoticon to highlight he was having a vegetarian meal, and Zack replied “How big is your 🍆?”

It was their little secret - although for Angeal, he was growing more interested in Zack, beyond a typical mentorship fondness. He was like a puppy after all. Small, sweet, adorable, very distractible and with destructive tendencies. Zack quickly became the highlight of his day - someone to smile about when he woke up and when he went to bed. It was a new feeling of joy he hadn’t felt in some time - it was fresh, innocent, made him think of daisies and the summer. So he bought a potted daisy plant and arranged it on his desk when Zack went home to visit his family.

His own mother phoned him after his last letter, asking if he met any lovely girls or boys so she may look forward to wedding bells. Angeal laughed over the phone as he spritzed the smiling plant.

“No, no.”

“But of course! Your puppy, oh he must be a delight. I sure would love to meet him.”

Angeal paused mid-spritz, “You have the wrong idea, mom. He’s my mentee.”

“Mmm. I see.” was all she said. Of course, a mother always knew.

Where Angeal should draw the line was getting blurrier the more time he spent with Zack. They grew comfortable together, they played rough together and on more than one occasion Angeal noticed his heart began to race at the thought of him, his palms sweating when he stood too close and his stomach alive with butterflies from his smile. Late nights were becoming bothersome, with Zack constantly texting his thoughts and Angeal resisting the urge to send a flirty text. _Stay professional_ , he kept telling himself. But his protégé was sexy, and kind, and everything Angeal never knew he needed in a partner. He had such a zest for life that Angeal didn’t afford to himself since he joined Soldier. Sure he would water his plants once he came home, but it was still difficult to wind down and stop being Soldier First Class Hewley all the time. 

It wasn’t long until Zack and Angeal became involved in each other’s private lives. Zack was invited to Angeal’s abode, marvelling at the plants and wanting to know every plant name. He stood there ogling a monstera deliciosa with a beer in one hand, that Angeal finally cracked.

“You’re gorgeous.” he said.

“Hmm?” Zack turned to him with his blue eyes wide with intrigue.

“Do you want to go on a date?”

Zack’s jaw dropped, “Really?”

Angeal swallowed, “Yes.”

Zack beamed, “I’m glad you finally asked. I was too scared to!”

Angeal didn’t know whether to laugh, or cry, or continue standing in shock because Zack wanted to go on a date. With him. “Tomorrow night, then?”

“Hell yeah! Take me to the Gold Saucer!”

The older man chuckled, “Is this so you can live out your dream of riding a chocobo?”

“Riding a chocobo? Pft!” Zack had a devilish glint to his eyes, “You’re going to win me one!”

A ring toss game. It was all Zack wanted him to do. And he dragged back a stuffed chocobo larger than himself through the lobby of the Shinra building. Confused stares were just a bonus to the embarrassment Angeal felt having to wear a Moogle hat as punishment for losing at the races. Lying in bed, Zack snoozing with his 500gil 6ft tall plush chocobo, Angeal could genuinely say he had one of the happiest days of his life. 

To say he was worried that dating his mentee would lead to issues with their mentor/mentee relationship, was an understatement. There were times Zack wouldn’t turn up to his apartment because he had to sulk about Angeal telling him off over a safety oversight or for rushing head-on into battles without appropriate planning. There were days Angeal was fed up with the age-gap, expecting Zack to be more mature than any 18 year old should be. Thankfully, for the most part, Zack was learning quickly, finally putting his used dishes away in the dishwasher and taking the time to avoid late-teens slang with Angeal.

But over time, dating his mentor was taking a toll on Zack. He spent less time with friends and men his age, feeling outcast and unable to relate due to his close relationship with one of the three elite. Then there were rumours about grooming and sexual exchange for rank. Sephiroth confronted Angeal first. 

“Your relationship with Zack has inspired a wave of accusations.”

Angeal bit into his banana, “What do you mean?”

The general slapped down a newspaper. Headline: _SOLDIER SEX RING_ . “There’ll be a press conference later today. _You_ are to be in attendance.” 

“But this isn’t true.”

“If it’s in print, it’s true unless we say otherwise.”

The press conference was nerve-wracking. He sat, sandwiched between his two friends as flashing lights and cameras assaulted his vision. Angeal was nervous and overwhelmed, remaining calm on the outside, but abuzz with concern for his puppy on the inside. A misstep here and his idyllic life with someone who made him genuinely happy could come to an end. 

A reporter directed a question at Sephiroth, “There are reports saying Zack only made it to First Class to avoid a scandal and circumvent Soldier’s own policy on entering relationships with those below rank. What do you have to say on the matter?”

“You should be asking Angeal.”

“With all due respect- ”

Genesis interrupted, growing tired of the same five questions being recycled, “With all due respect, Zackary is a more than capable Soldier operative. Did they enter a relationship prior to his promotion? Yes, however Zackary has been pinned for a first class promotion for a long time, even before he and Angeal entered their mentoring relationship.”

“You don’t feel you may be biased here?”

Sephiroth took over, “We’re all adults here. We have a work life and a private life. Some may not be able to separate the two, but you don’t get to First Class without being able to shut off from work. We’d burn out otherwise. So to answer your question, and all others you may have, we’re capable and I trust Angeal to be able to have a private life separate from his duties at Soldier. As I’m sure most of you do. We’re done.” 

The reporters surged forward, yammering questions as they exited. Angeal barely spoke a word the entire time, but he was parched.

“Go home.” Sephiroth said, patting his back, “We’ll handle it from here.”

A little shaken, Angeal caught a cab. Rain pattering on the windows as he thought of how desperately he wanted to be home where it was warm and happy. Tipping the driver, he walked through the rain and made it home where the lights were golden and the air smelled of pine. Angeal hung up his coat and began making dinner. Spaghetti using leftover roast chicken and vegetables. Once that was bubbling away, he took to cleaning around the house - moving dog beds out of the way, lint rolling the couch and changing the bedsheets. Midway through vacuuming the living room, Zack bounds through the front door - two leashes pulling away from his body as he removes his muddy boots that two muddy dogs began gnawing the laces of.

“Get off.” he demanded with a laugh before the dogs brought him to his knees.

Angeal stopped vacuuming, “Not in here!” he yelled at them before they tracked mud through the apartment and pointed to the bathroom, “Go get them and yourself cleaned up! I just cleaned here!”

Zack picked up both dogs, one in each arm, kicked off his boots and made it to the bathroom. Walking into the bathroom, Angeal saw the cutest sight of Zack with his sleeves rolled up sitting on a stool by the bath-tub as he shampooed one of the dogs.

“You’re going to be so clean!” he teased, the dog barked at him in response.

Angeal grabbed the other dog and made her coat wet in the bath, “Come on, Daisy.” He said, gently rubbing her side as she whimpered, “It’s just a bit of water.”

Zack chuckled, “That’s right, Daisy. Daddy said it’s just water.”

Angeal smiled and turned to Zack, both sharing a quick kiss as they lathered their dogs. 

“How was the press conference?” Zack asked.

“As annoying as you’ve imagined.”

Zack scoffed, “Wow, what a real waste of time.”

“Agreed.”

Dogs rinsed and sufficiently calmed, Angeal and Zack towel dried their fuzzy bodies before Angeal plugged in the hair dryer and whirred it to live. Both dogs cautiously stepped backwards, before Zack grabbed the first one and assigned himself to ‘dog-calming duty’ for her blow-dry. As Angeal sat there blow drying their pet, he couldn’t help to think of the success his life had been to be able to sit here with a blow dryer drying his dog’s coat whilst the best dog co-parent ever sat there gently holding and soothing them.

“I love you.” he said, and Zack looked up at him and smiled.

“I love you, too.”

And Angeal knew it was true. 


End file.
